QFleet Transitioning to New Energy Vehicles
Under the Queensland Department of Energy and Public Works, QFleet manages the procurement and maintenance of state vehicles. Now, QFleet is eager to go electric.
The QFleet Electric Vehicle Transition Strategy commits QFleet to doubling the number of electric vehicles (EVs) in its fleet annually for four years, reaching at least 144 by December 2021 and 288 by December 2022. On 5 November 2021, there were 122 EVs active in the QFleet fleet — 80 battery electric; 37 plug-in hybrid electric; and 5 fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). This is 4.06% of the eligible fleet.
QFleet has 10,390 vehicles — including passenger cars, SUVs, light commercial vehicles, trucks, and buses — in its statewide fleet. About 3,000 of these are suitable to be replaced by an EV when their lease arrangements expire, but there are no alternatives available in the Australian market at this time to transition the remaining vehicle types to EV.
With an additional 50 EVs on order, QFleet has a current total of 165 EVs, well exceeding this year’s target of 144. All EVs that become available on the Australian market are considered by QFleet and evaluated to ensure they are fit-for-purpose. Manufacturers and makes of EVs in the government fleet include the Hyundai Kona, Nissan Leaf, MG ZS, Tesla, Hyundai Ioniq, Kia Niro, Mitsubishi Outlander, and Hyundai Nexo. These vehicles are offered for sale via public auction at the end of their lease, supporting the broader uptake of EVs in the private market.
QFleet does not track usage patterns, but the vehicles are used for a wide variety of purposes, including by frontline health workers, educators, site and project supervisors, and administrative staff.
The three ministerial EVs are all Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus, with the ministers having posted on their social media about the vehicles — ministers de Brenni, Scanlon, and Bailey (of the Labour Party, similar to Democrats in the USA).
EVs currently in use are:
More information is here.
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